The field of the invention is illumination devices, and the invention relates more particularly to recessed adjustable lighting fixtures which may be placed in a ceiling or wall and adjusted to illuminate a desired area of the room.
Various tilting light fixtures are commonly used and the following patents disclose lighting fixtures of this general type: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,855,503; 3,609,346; 3,693,000; 2,218,395; 2,003,342; 4,177,504; 4,237,528; 3,944,810; 3,284,624; 3,312,816 and 3,381,125.
Each of the above-listed patents disclose devices which have various shortcominings, and there is a need for a fixture which may be accurately adjusted while being recessed in a wall or ceiling. Many tilting light fixtures are limited in degree of tilt and exhibit a loss of light near the extremities of tilt.
A particularly difficult lighting application is the illumination of a part of a wall by the use of a fixture mounted in a ceiling. This type of illumination is typically referred to as a "wall washer" and is widely used in retail stores, art galeries and in residential homes. Such illumination may be even more closely controlled to illuminate a single painting where the light is focused in the shape of the painting and is generally referred to as a framing projector. Framing projectors typically have required extensive optics and typically have required lighting fixtures which could not be recessed, but instead were mounted on a rack or otherwise protruding from the ceiling. Framing projectors typically cost in excess of $500 and are about 12 inches in length. Because of their size, they are difficult or impossible to conceal.
There is thus a need for a simple and yet accurately controlled recessed adjustable lighting fixture.